Hawaii Early Learning Profile (HELP): Domains, versions, and scoring

Key takeaways

The Hawaii Early Learning Profile (HELP) is a criterion-referenced, family-centered developmental assessment for children from birth to 6 years.

HELP evaluates six developmental domains: cognitive, language, gross motor, fine motor, social-emotional, and self-help skills.

Two versions exist: HELP 0-3 (birth to 36 months) and HELP 3-6 (ages 3 to 6), each with its own kit components.

Scoring is criterion-referenced, rating each skill as pass, emerging, not yet, or atypical rather than as a percentile.

Pabau’s digital forms and automated workflows help early intervention teams document HELP-based goals, track progress, and streamline IFSP reporting.

The Hawaii Early Learning Profile (HELP) is a criterion-referenced developmental assessment for children from birth to age 6. Rather than comparing children to a normative peer group, it rates skills against developmental milestones. As a result, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and early intervention specialists use it across the US.

Because HELP items describe observable behaviors, findings translate straight into IFSP and IEP goals. In fact, that is the practical reason teams keep choosing it over norm-referenced instruments for planning work. Specifically, this guide covers the six domains, both versions, administration, scoring, and the documentation load that follows.

What is the Hawaii Early Learning Profile (HELP)?

HELP is a criterion-referenced developmental assessment for children from birth to 6 years. Originally, it was created by VORT Corporation, whose HELP titles were acquired by Shine Early Learning in 2023. Today, Shine is the publisher and distributor.

The assessment covers six developmental domains. Instead of standardized norm comparisons, clinicians gather evidence through observation, structured play activity, and caregiver interview.

Criterion-referenced means HELP measures a child’s skills against developmental milestones, not against a peer group. Therefore, it suits early intervention, where the job is pinpointing which skills need support and planning for them. In other words, ranking a child against population averages is not the point.

HELP is not a diagnostic instrument. Instead, results inform intervention planning and goal-setting. Additionally, eligibility decisions under IDEA Part C need evaluation data beyond HELP scores alone.

The family-centered design is central to how HELP works. For example, caregivers take part directly through observation reports and structured interviews. As a result, clinicians get a fuller picture of everyday functioning than a single clinic session can provide. Overall, it reflects best practice for engaging families in therapy and other early intervention services.

HELP 0-3 and HELP 3-6: Which version to use

HELP comes in two versions covering different age ranges. Accordingly, each has its own kit components, strand books, and activity guides matched to that age group.

HELP 0-3 is the version most often referenced in early intervention literature. In fact, most published psychometric research on the instrument is based on it. Meanwhile, HELP 3-6 extends coverage into the preschool years and supports transition planning from Part C to Part B.

Both versions cover the same six domains. However, the specific milestones and observable behaviors differ substantially between age groups. For a child sitting right at the boundary between versions, administering both is sometimes appropriate, depending on clinical judgment.

The six developmental domains HELP assesses

HELP evaluates six developmental domains. Each covers a distinct area of child development, and together they form a comprehensive functional profile. Specifically, the table below summarizes what each one assesses.

The multi-domain structure is what makes HELP useful across disciplines. For instance, a speech-language pathologist works mainly in the language domain. Meanwhile, an occupational therapist covers fine motor and self-help.

Similarly, a physical therapist takes the gross motor findings and may add a motor assessment scale for detail.

Because all three clinicians use the same instrument and record, HELP builds one shared developmental picture. For a family dealing with autism and speech delay, for example, that view is often their first look at strengths and challenges together.

In that case, teams often follow a weak social-emotional strand with social-emotional learning activities a caregiver can run at home.

How is the HELP assessment administered?

HELP is administered by observing the child during play and everyday routines, not in formal testing conditions. As a result, this lowers the anxiety that structured testing can produce in very young children. For this age group, it also produces more accurate results.

• Who administers it: Early intervention specialists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. Depending on state licensure, developmental specialists and special education teachers may also administer HELP under supervision.
• Setting: Usually the child’s natural environment, whether that is the home, a childcare setting, or a clinic. IDEA Part C requires natural environments for early intervention wherever possible.
• Caregiver role: Parents and caregivers are active participants. They report on skills seen at home, complete interview questionnaires, and may demonstrate familiar routines. Collect a consent form for minors before the session.
• Duration: A complete HELP assessment usually takes 60 to 90 minutes. Child age, cooperation, and the number of domains assessed in detail all move that figure.
• Materials: Clinicians use standardized strand books and a structured recording form. Play materials are usually everyday objects the child already knows, not specialized test kits.

For speech therapy practices serving pediatric caseloads, accurate results depend on two things. Specifically, clinicians need training in structured observation, and they need strong caregiver communication skills. For that reason, the HELP training packet from the Early Intervention Training Program at the University of Illinois is a useful starting point.

How is the HELP scored?

HELP uses a criterion-referenced scoring system with no percentile ranks and no standard scores. Instead, each item on the strand checklist is rated against a specific developmental milestone. Specifically, the rating records whether a skill is present, emerging, or absent relative to that expectation.

Common scoring categories across HELP versions include:

• Pass (P): The skill is demonstrated consistently across settings.
• Emerging (E): The skill appears partially or inconsistently, which flags an intervention target.
• Not Yet (NY): The skill has not been observed yet and usually becomes a priority for support.
• Atypical (A): The skill is present but demonstrated in an unusual or qualitatively different way.

Results map onto a developmental strand chart, so you can see where skills cluster and where a child needs support. In turn, that strand profile feeds IFSP goal-writing in Part C services and IEP objectives in Part B programs. For example, a speech therapy goal bank helps turn emerging-skill ratings into wording a family can follow.

Keeping strand charts current across a full caseload is where documentation time piles up fastest. In fact, every reassessment adds a new layer to a record that several disciplines are already writing into.

HELP in early intervention and therapy planning

HELP is one of the most widely used assessments in Part C programs across the United States. It ties to functional outcomes rather than statistical comparisons. As a result, this makes it a strong starting point for goals families understand and clinicians can track between visits.

In practice, HELP results feed directly into three planning processes:

1. IFSP goal development: Under Part C, emerging skills on the strand profile become priority targets. Because HELP items describe observable behaviors, they translate into measurable IFSP outcomes more directly than many norm-referenced instruments.
2. Interdisciplinary coordination: When SLPs, OTs, and PTs work from one HELP record, each discipline sees what the others are targeting. For example, a physical therapist supporting gross motor work benefits from knowing the language findings. That’s because motor and communication development are closely linked before age 3.
3. Progress monitoring: Re-administering HELP at regular intervals, typically every 6 months in Part C programs, lets teams document skill acquisition and adjust intervention intensity.

For children moving from Part C to Part B at age 3, HELP 3-6 provides continuity. As a result, teams can compare findings across versions and show a developmental trajectory to IEP teams and families. In addition, reading those results alongside Beery VMI scoring supports a fuller evaluation at transition.

Psychometric properties: Reliability and validity

Peer-reviewed research has examined HELP’s reliability and validity as a developmental assessment. Specifically, research documented in ERIC supports its content validity, which rests on established developmental sequences. In addition, inter-rater reliability has been documented across trained evaluators.

Key psychometric considerations for practitioners:

• Content validity: Items are based on documented developmental sequences drawn from foundational child development research. That grounding gives HELP strong face validity for clinicians trained in milestones.
• Inter-rater reliability: Studies show acceptable agreement among trained examiners, but training is essential. For instance, how examiners read “emerging” versus “not yet” is a known source of inconsistency.
• Criterion validity limits: As a criterion-referenced tool, HELP is not built to correlate with norm-referenced tests. Therefore, do not use HELP ratings to predict standard scores on instruments like the Bayley Scales.
• Cultural considerations: Some items reflect mainstream US developmental expectations. Therefore, with culturally or linguistically diverse families, interpret findings with sensitivity to variation in child-rearing practices and milestone timing.

Documentation matters for billing, too. When a child carries a diagnosis code such as R62.50, for example, record HELP findings alongside it for eligibility reporting. However, HELP results do not establish a medical diagnosis, so label them clearly as developmental assessment data in the record.

Strengths and limitations of HELP

No single developmental tool covers every clinical need. HELP has clear strengths that make it a leading choice in early intervention. That said, it also has limits worth accounting for when you select or interpret assessment tools.

Clinicians who also use the Sensory Profile 2 often run the two together. In practice, HELP shows which skills are emerging and where to target intervention, while a norm-referenced tool places the child against their age group for eligibility purposes.

How HELP aligns with Hawaii’s early learning standards

HELP was developed in Hawaii and stays closely tied to the state’s early childhood framework. Specifically, the Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL) oversees early learning standards and programs statewide.

In turn, the Hawaii Early Learning and Development Standards (HELDS) set what children should know from birth through kindergarten entry.

HELP’s domain structure maps closely to the HELDS domains. As a result, it is a natural choice for programs funded or regulated under Hawaii’s early learning system.

Practitioners in the Early Intervention Section (EIS), the Hawaii Department of Health’s Part C program, commonly use HELP as a primary instrument. That’s because it lines up with both federal IDEA requirements and the state standards.

Outside Hawaii, programs use HELP independently of state-specific standards. Confirm that your own state’s early intervention program accepts HELP findings for eligibility and IFSP purposes, because that recognition varies by state.

How Pabau keeps HELP records and reassessments on track

Early intervention teams face a specific documentation problem. Specifically, HELP produces detailed multi-domain strand data that has to link to IFSP goals, session notes, progress summaries, and billing records. As a result, doing that on paper, across a caseload of dozens of children, invites version mismatches and late reports.

Practice management software like Pabau is built for this kind of structured, repeating work. For example, Pabau’s digital forms let teams build HELP recording templates and caregiver questionnaires that feed straight into a child’s record. As a result, clinicians capture findings during the session instead of transcribing paper afterward.

Pabau’s automated workflows then handle the reassessment cycle these programs run on. Specifically, they schedule 6-month re-evaluation reminders, send caregiver questionnaires ahead of a planned reassessment, and alert supervisors when progress notes fall behind.

For teams spread across several locations or supervision structures, centralized client records keep every discipline on the same current developmental picture. That removes version conflicts and duplicate data entry, so your evenings stop going on paperwork.

Streamline early intervention documentation

Pabau keeps assessment records, digital forms, and care plans in one place, with automatic reminders for every reassessment. Your team spends more time with families and less time chasing paperwork.

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Conclusion

HELP earns its place because its findings convert straight into goals a family can act on. If you need standard scores for an eligibility decision, pair it with a norm-referenced instrument. In other words, stretching HELP past what it was designed to do is where teams get into trouble.

The trade-off is administrative. Six-month reassessments, strand charts, and IFSP links stack up quickly across a caseload, and that is the work that eats a clinician’s evening. Therefore, decide how you will store and update HELP records before the caseload grows, not after.

Get that decision right and the assessment starts paying for the time it costs. Book a demo to see how Pabau keeps HELP records, reassessment reminders, and IFSP documentation together in one place.

Continue your research

Need a starting point for pediatric intake? Standard intake questionnaire template gives you a reusable structure for capturing history and caregiver concerns before the first session.

Screening toddlers for autism alongside HELP? M-CHAT screening checklist covers the scoring bands and follow-up steps for the 16 to 30 month age range.

Looking for a functional outcome measure in OT? Canadian Occupational Performance Measure shows how to score self-care, productivity, and leisure goals with the family involved.

Planning therapy for a child with delayed speech? Therapy for speech delay walks through the techniques and session structures used with preschool-age children.

Frequently asked questions

Administering and using HELP: Access, qualifications, and eligibility